The Role of Pumped Hydro Storage in Supporting Modern Power Systems: A Review of the Practices in China

Modern power systems are experiencing an increasing penetration of renewables, along with reduced system inertia, reliability, and fault recovery ability. Large-scale energy storage (ES) technologies have been proven to be the most effective measure to mitigate this situation. Pumped hydro storage (PHS) is one of the most well-established and commercially-acceptable utility-scale ES technology nowadays, with the very low unit cost. It can offer ancillary services (AS), including peak shaving, voltage support, fast-response reserve, and black-start capability. This paper aims at reviewing the role and practices of PHS in supporting the modern power system in China. The current status and potential of PHS are illustrated. The functions with different application scenarios are investigated. Moreover, the practices of PHS in different regional power systems in China are studied case by case.